University Park

TEDxPSU will celebrate breaking the status quo with 'Breach' on Feb. 12

 The TEDxPSU 2017 theme of “Breach” encompasses innovative ideas and breaking past the status quo.  Credit: TEDxPSU . All Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12, Penn State will host its seventh annual TEDxPSU event, a full-day conference for students, faculty and the community. 

This year the main conference will focus on the theme “Breach,” which encompasses innovative ideas and breaking past the status quo. Some thought-provoking topics that will be covered include schizophrenia, police brutality and a talk on the rhetoric of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump.

Free and open to the public, those interested can register at tedxpsu.com. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. 

Scheduled to appear:

  • Tim Simpson — Penn State mechanical and industrial engineering professor
  • Claudia Williams — chief frientorship officer and founder of The Human Zone
  • Glenn R. Ruse Jr. — Classicist and Roman historian
  • Cecilia McGough — Schreyer Honors College student pursuing astronomy and astrophysics
  • Jonathan Marks — Trained lawyer and current director of the Bioethics Program at Penn State
  • Bella Glanville — International model, coach and high school senior
  • Bruno Descaves — Master puppeteer from Brazil
  • Matthew Stumpf — Brings a background in psychology, communications, leadership, behavioral health and public speaking
  • Peter Buckland — Academic Programs Fellow at Penn State’s Sustainability Institute
  • Theresa Vescio — Professor of psychology and women’s, gender and sexuality studies
  • Brian Davis — Penn State student who crafted the publication “The Penn State Treasure” 

About TEDxPSU
TEDxPSU is Penn State’s locally organized, student-run, yearly TEDx conference. Over the past seven years, we have provided students, faculty, staff and State College community members with a memorable, interactive full-day TEDx conference full of enlightening talks on a wide breadth of topics. Our goal as an organization is two-fold: We aim to showcase the best research, ideas and values that Penn State students, faculty and alumni have to offer our community and beyond; and we bring in speakers from outside of our community to provide new perspectives on the world at large. Our reach extends to Penn State, State College, our Commonwealth Campuses, and across the United States and the globe. We pledge to continuously provide novel “ideas worth spreading” to all of these communities. 

About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading
TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a “TED like” experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalk videos and live speakers come together to spark deep discussion and connection in a group setting. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. 

Last Updated January 24, 2017